MOSCOW, December 23. Member of the state Duma Committee for security and combating corruption, the former head of FSB Nikolai Kovalev called the new U.S. sanctions an attempt to “save face” and expressed hope that the new administration in the White house will quietly start to build relations with Russia.
“This is a purely political move, because you have to justify to the voters, to their people,” said Kovalev on December 23, reporters, adding that the U.S. government should support the view of Russia as “painted monster, the aggressor”. “It will be in the near future until the political situation settles,” said the politician.
See also
Ryabkov: Moscow will respond to new US sanctions against Russia
Meanwhile, “the content of these sanctions is zero, because a number of structures that appear (on the list), already sanctioned, and they are not engaged in activities that fall under U.S. sanctions”, said Kovalev. “This is a purely political move that does not lead to any consequences for Russia, and, incidentally, politicians, leaders of the United States is well aware,” he said. However, Washington “to save face”, said the Deputy.
“In politics the most important thing – preservation of the person that they are diligent and doing, speaking on the extension of sanctions. For this, apart from the political jabber, not worth anything. Over the election campaign, and everything will gradually settle down,” predicts Kovalev. In his opinion, “any outgoing politician utterly exacerbates relations with Russia, and each successive begins the relationship by safely build, and (as a result) is a normal political process”.
“Let’s hope that the politicians will not be broken this time, and again came (to power) policies in the U.S. and in Germany, and in France (will build this relationship),” said the MP. “Maybe that (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel and will remain in his position, although such is definitely taken under dictation of the USA decisions, it seems to me, all the same authority and support in the country loses”, he concluded.
New US sanctions
See also
U.S. Embassy: to expand the sanctions list is not a tightening of sanctions
The U.S. Treasury Department on December 22 has published the expanded list of individuals and legal entities against whom sanctions in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. Among them – individuals and companies, which the Americans identified as associated with businessmen Gennady Timchenko and Rotenberg brothers, the concern “Kalashnikov” and Izhevsk mechanical plant, a unit of Sberbank, VTB and Rostec. In a separate list – functionaries proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics (DPR and LPR).
As reported by the American Ministry of Finance, updated the sanctions lists of the United States entered a number of subsidiaries of the largest Russian banks – Sberbank and VTB. In the sanctions list were included, in particular, Mosoblbank, Novikombank and “Yandex.Money.”
See also
All sanctions of the West against Russia
